Conveyer system



Jan. 26, 1954 PYLEs 2,667,260

CONVEYER SYSTEM Filed Sept. 11, 1948 s Sheets-Sheet 1 G. YLES ATTORNEY J I Li.

V INVENTOR v I H.

1954 H. G. PYLES 67, 60

CONVEYER SYSTEM Filed Sept. 11, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 //6 NJ In #a l //2 r A 7' TORNE V Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVEYER SYSTEM Harley G. P'yIes', Baltimore, Md., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated-,N'ew York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Applicationseptember 11, 1948, Serial No. 48,803

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to conveyor systems, and has for an object thereof the provision of new and improved conveyor systems.

A conveyor system illustrating certain features of the invention may include a plurality .of load carriers, means for moving the carriers along a predetermined path, means for loading articles on the carriers at a predetermined point in the path of the carriers, means for setting carriers for selective unloading operations, and means for selectively unloading the carriers.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of a conveyor system forming a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended'drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary, plan view of a conveyor system forming one embodiment of the invention; I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, vertical section taken along line Z--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, vertical view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, vertical section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, vertical. section taken along line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein a conveyor track It having a loading section which runs below Workbenches illustrated by benches I 2 and l3, and also having an unloading sectionvextending slightly above the work benches. A sprocketv l4 advancesa roller chain 16 (Fig. 1) along the track 10, and the roller chain servesto support. load carriers, illustrated by load carriers, [8, and 20 (Fig, 2). The load carrier I8 includes a. pair of rollers 2222 designed to ride on the, track l0, and the rollers 2222 support a bracket 24 by a shaft 26. A base 28 is secured rigidly to the bracket 24, and a pan 39 secured to the base 28 by a hinge 32 is urged away, from the base by a compression spring 34.

When the pan. 30 is empty, the compression spring 34 maintains it. in its position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, in whichposition. it is tilted to some extent. but not sufficiently to discharge articles from the pan, and the. path of movement of a dog 36 fastened rigidly to the pan is in alignment with a trip arm. 38 of a bell. crank lever 40. When the dog engages the arm 38 of the bell crank lever 40,. it pivots the lever in clockwise direction, as, viewed in Fig. 3,,and an arm 42 of the lever releasesa latch 44. through a connecting line 46' by pivoting the'latch In a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2; against the action of a tension spring 68'. As the latch 46 is pivoted in acoun'terclockwis'e direction, in releases a loading plate 50 secured to a post 52 of the Work-bench [-2 by a hinge 54. Release of the latch permits the loading plate to swing in a clockwise direction and a bundle 56 placed on the loading plate 50 by an operator at the work table l2 to slide into the pan 33. The weight of the bundle 5B depresses the pan 36 against the action of the spring 34 so that the dog 36 is moved to its position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, in which position the dog 36 will not strike any of the arms corresponding to the arm 38 of the bell crank lever 42'! at any of the otherwork benches, which are provided with loaders identical with that of which a portion has just beendescribed; V

'Thebundle 5i; moves the plate 50- downwardly after the plate 59' has been unlatc'hed until the plate 50 strikes a switch 611' to close a circuit to' a solenoid winding 62 mounted for adjustment along a guidew'ay M. The solenoidwin'ding 62 is energized and moves a setting plunger liltinto the path of a short arm 68 of'a cross 70' carried rotatably on a rod 12. The rod T2 is carried rigidly by a bracket 14 fastened to the base-2'8. As the cross 10 is moved to and past the plunger'lit, the short arm 68 strikes the setting plunger" 66 and the cross 16 is turned through an angle somewhat over 45, in" a counterclockwise" direction as viewed in Fig. 5: A four-lobed foam 15 secured rigidly to the cross 10 is engaged by a spring-pressed plunger 16 and after the cross 10 has been moved through the angle slightly greater than 45, the actionof the spring-pressed plunger 16 on the cam moves the cross 16 to a position in which it hasbeen turned 90 in a counterclockwise position from its full-lin'e position shown in Fig. 5, andla long arm of the cross 16 is directed downwardly.

.As the cross is is turned by the'p'lunger 66', which occurs While thebiindle is sliding-off the plate 5!] and the switch 6% i's-kept closed; teeth 8282 of a discontinuous-gear"!!! fastened rigidly to the cross 10; engagez ahd turn agear' 86 keyed to a shaft 88. This-rotation: of thesliaft 88 causes a cam 90 fastenedrigidly to. the shaft 88 to rotate clockwise" through. I80"- from the full-time position of the cam 90.to the=broken line position thereof,. as. showninFig; 5.. The cross ll! then has been set inra-posit-i0nin which the carrier l8 may be-unloaded at a selected point as described. hereinbelow Crosses 9-2 92 are also rotatably' mounted on the rod 12 of the carrier I8 at laterally spaced points thereon, and the solenoid winding 62 and the setting plunger 60 may be positioned selectively at any point along the guideway 64 for selectively setting any of the crosses I and 9292.

After the bundle has slid off the plate 50, a spring 94 moves the plate away from the switch 60 and the solenoid'winding 62 is deenergized. The plunger 06 then falls back to a retracted position out of the path of any of the crosses of any of the carriers,

Theload carrier 20, which is shown carrying a bundle I00 on a pan I02 thereof, includes a plurality of crosses similar to the crosses I0 and 9292. A cross I04 of the carrier 20 has been set in a manner similar to the settingof the cross 0 I0, An operator at the work bench I2 (Fig. 2)

needing the bundle I00, or'one identical therewith, actuates a switch I06 to raise an unloading plunger I08 into the path of a long arm I I0 of the cross I04, and the arm IIO of the cross 2,667,260 v 't J plunger I04 engages the plunger I08. As the cross I04 is moved past the plunger I08, the cross I04 is turned thereby in a counterclockwise direction,

' as viewed in Fig. 4, through substantially 90.

Teeth II2-I I2 of a discontinuous gear II4 connected rigidly to the cross I 04 turn a cam IIO through a pinion H8 and a shaft I20 in a clockwise direction through an arc of 180. That is, the cam H0 is turned through 180 by a 90 movement of the gear II4 and the cross I04. The 90 movement of the cross I04 and the gear II4 are insured by an overcenter device comprising a four-lobed cam I2I and a springpressed plunger I22. As the cam turned, it tilts the pan I02 to the position thereof shown in broken-lines in Fig. 2, which causes the bundle I00 to slide from the pan to a receiving portion I20 ofthe work bench I2.' The operator then actuates the switch I06 to retract the unloading plunger I08 if no more bundles are needed at that work bench.

The 90 movement of the cross I04 just described moves a short arm I of the cross I04 into a downwardly directed position so that it may be actuated as the pan I02 is reloaded at one of the work benches to preselect the unloading station at the work bench I2 or one needing bundles identical with the bundle I00. Any other of crosses I32l32 of the carrier I0 may be selected to cause unloading of the carrier I8 at a work bench other than the last-mentioned work benches.

Operation An operator at the work bench l2 moves the loading plate 50 from its normal position, which is the upper broken-line position thereof shown in Fig. 2, past the latch 44 to latch the plate 50 in its full-line position shown in Fig. 2, places the bundle 50 on the plate 50, and sets the solenoid winding 02 in the position on the track 64 designed to set the next empty one of the carriers illustrated by carriers I 8 and 20 for the work bench or benches designed to receive the bundle 56. Assuming that the carrier I8 is empty and is the first emptyhcarrier to approach the work bench I2, the pan30 is in its full-line position, and the dog 36 trips the bell crank lever 40 to release the latch 44. The bundle pushes the support 50 downwardly against the switch 00 and slides into the pan 30. The bundle 50 pushes the pan 30 downwardly against the spring 34 so that the dog 30 is'lowered and does not trip another H0 is so.

,4 of the bell crank levers corresponding to the lever 40.

Actuation of the switch 60 energizes the solenoid winding 02 to force the setting plunger 66 upwardly into the path of the short arm 08 of the cross I0, and as the carrier I0 is moved to and past the plunger 60, the plunger 60 turns the cross 10 through 90 to move the long arm 80 thereof to a position directed downwardly so that it will engage a plunger similar to the plunger I08 set therefor at one of the work benches. When the arm strikes this plunger, the cam 00 is swung through the upper portion of its path of revolution, as viewed in Fig. 5, to tilt the pan 30 and unload the bundle 56 therefrom.

The plungers corresponding to the unloading I00 are not positioned high enough when in their actuating positions to engage the short arms corresponding to the short arms 60 and I30 of the crosses so that only a loaded load carrier which is set for the particular plunger corresponding to the plunger I08 or the plunger I08 is tripped by those plungers. That is, unloaded carriers have only the short arms of their crosses directed downwardly and the unloading plungers do not reach high enough to engage these short arms. Since the unloading plungers at some of the work benches are positioned selectively at laterally spaced points with respect to the path of the load carriers, only the load carriers which have the particular cross set for a particular unloading plunger will be actuated by that unloading plunger. If all the loading stations are full, their unloading plungers are retracted by the operators thereat and loaded load carriers move along the endless path of the conveyor track I0 without being unloaded. Since these loaded load carriers are already filled with bundles, none of the loading mechanisms at any of the work benches will be actuated.

The above-described conveyor system serves to conveniently and'expeditiously deliver bundles to a large number of work benches. It is simple in construction and eificient and certain in operation.

What is claimed is: y

1. A selective conveyor system, which comprises a leader, a guide track, acarrier support movable along the guide track, means for moving the support along the track, a pan mounted pivotally on the support, meansfor tilting the pan with respect to the support, a plurality of actuators pivotally mounted on the support, each of the actuators being provided with a short arm and a long arm, means for engaging a shortarm of one of the actuators to turn the actuator to a predetermined position in which the long arm thereof extends in a predetermined direction, and means for engaging the last-mentioned long arm to tilt the pan.

2. A conveyor system which comprises a loader, a guide track, a support movable along the guide track, means for moving the support along the track, a pan mounted pivotally on the support, a rod carried by the support in a position extending transversely with respect to the track, a plurality of crosses each having a long and a short arm mounted rotatably on the rod at spaced points therealong, a plurality of gears secured rigidly to the crosses, over-center devices for holding the crosses individually in positions spaced apart, selective means at the loader for positioning any one of the crosses so that a long arm thereof extends in a predetermined die rection, a shaft extending parallel to the rod, a cam mounted on the shaft, gears keyed to the shaft and engaging the gears on the crosses so that the cam is turned when any one of the crosses is turned, said cam being provided with a lobe portion for tilting the pan, and a plurality of unloading plungers spaced along the guide track, each of said plungers being movable from a position in whi h no cross is engaged thereby to a position in which it is engaged only by a long arm of a cross extending in said predetermined direction whereby the cross is rotated to turn the cam so as to tilt the pan.

3. A conveyor system, which comprises a loader, a guide track, a carrier support movable along the guide track, means for moving the support along the track, a pan mounted pivotally on the support, a plurality of crosses mounted for individual rotation and carried by the support at points spaced transversely with respect to the track, each of said crosses having a long arm perpendicular to a short arm, over-center devices for holding the crosses individually in positions spaced 90 apart and with one or" the arms of each cross extending perpendicularly, selective means at the loader for engaging one of the crosses for moving it from a position in which one short arm thereof extends perpendicularly to a position in which a long arm thereof extends perpendicularly, means for tilting the pan actuatable by movement of any of the crosses from a position in which a long arm thereof extends perpendicularly to a position in which a short arm thereof extends perpendicularly, and a plurality of unloading plungers for actuating the pan-tilting means each movabl from a position in Which it is not engaged by any of the crosses to a position in which it is engaged by one of the long arms of a selected cross When said arm extends perpendicularly.

4. A conveyor system, which comprises a plurality of load carriers movable along a predetermined path from a loading position to a plurality of spaced unloading positions, means for advancing the carriers along said path, means positioned at the loading position and responsive to movement of one of the carriers for loading an article thereon, an adjustable unloading means secured to each carrier, means positioned at each of the unloading positions for actuating the unloading means of a selected one of the carriers, and means responsive to the loading means for adjusting the unloading means on a carrier for actuation only at a preselected unloading position.

5. A conveyor system, which comprises a plurality of load carriers movable along a predetermined endless path, means for advancing the carriers along said path, means positioned at spaced loading points along said path and responsive to movement of one of the carriers for load ing an article thereon, unloading means secured to each carrier, means positioned at spaced unloading points along said path for actuating the unloading means of a selected one of the carriers, each or" said unloading means having a control means settable to allow it to be actuated only at a selected unloading point, and means responsive to the loading means for setting the control means on the carriers so that articles carried thereby Will be unloaded at said selected unloading point.

6. A conveyor system, which comprises a plurality of load carriers movable along a predetermined endless path, means for advancing the carriers along said path, means positioned at spaced loadin points along said path and responsive to movement of one of the carriers for loading an article thereon only when the carrier is empty, unloading means secured to each carrier, each unloading means having an associated rod on which a plurality of spaced, rotatable members are mounted so that rotation of a selected member will cause the unloading means to be actuated, a plunger slidably adjustable parallel to each rotatable member for engaging and partially rotating said member in response to one of said loading means, and means positioned at a selected spaced unloading point along said path for further rotating said partially rotated member to actuate said unloading means so that an article will be unloaded at said selected unloading point.

HARLEY G. PYLES.

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